Re: Phonotactics of Velian I, or: Phonology of Velian II: The Wrath of John Vertical ;-)

Andreas Johansson wrote:
> Quoting Jeff Rollin <jeff.rollin@...>:
>
>
>>I always thought that Bantu languages had syllabic nasals, but Wikipedia
>>always seems to nasal + plosive as instances of prenasalisation.
>
>
> Xhosa has words like _mntu_ (meaning "human" I think), and while I don't know
> exactly how that is pronounced,
Actually it's _umntu_ (plural: abantu). The word is two syllables (three
syllables in the plural, of course): um-ntu. The _nt_ is prenasalized
dental plosive.

I'm fairly certain Xhosa does not have syllabic nasals (at least
according to my 'Xhosa - a Concise Manual" it doesn't). But Swahili does
(as well, of course, as penasalized plosives). The Swahili word for
"human being, man" is _mtu_ (plural _watu_) which, like its Xhosa
cognate, is also disyllabic, namely: m-tu (where _m_ is syllabic).

--
Ray
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http://www.carolandray.plus.com
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Nid rhy hen neb i ddysgu.
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[WELSH PROVERB]

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